Niles in Berrien County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

1. Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot Marker

Inscription. Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot Built in 1892. This Property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Erected 1993 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1874.)

Location. 41° 50.226′ N, 86° 15.224′ W. Marker is in Niles, Michigan, in Berrien County. Marker can be reached from Dey Street near North 5th Street (Michigan Route 51). Click for map. This marker is inside of the Depot. It is now an Amtrak station. Marker is at or near this postal address: 598 Dey Street, Niles MI 49120, United States of America.

It is a beautiful building—inside and out. According to a gentleman I met there, it has been used for four movies: “Prancer,” “Only The Lonely,” “Continental Divide,” and “Midnight Run.” Most of “Prancer” was shot in nearby Three Oaks, MI.

Also see . . . The Railroad Cometh. 2007 article in the Niles Daily Star. (Submitted on July 15, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Springfield, Virginia.)

Additional comments. 1. There Has Always Been Plenty of Passenger Trains Stopping at NilesThroughout the passenger train era that ended in the early 1960s, Niles had plenty of passenger trains stopping at this station. By the 1940s the New York Central owned all of the tracks through Niles, and Niles was on the most direct route between Chicago and Detroit. The New York Special stopped here at 11:44 AM on its way to New York via Detroit and Niagara Falls. Right behind it, The Mercury with its parlor cars stopped at 12:09 PM to pick up passengers for Cleveland. The Eastbound Wolverine stopped just before 3 PM with sleeping cars destined for Buffalo, New York and Boston. The Twilight Limited was the fast afternoon train that left Chicago at 4:15 to get to Detroit by 10:30. It passed many stations without stopping

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

3. The Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot

but it stopped at Niles at 6:54.

One train had two names when it stopped at Niles at 10:54 PM. The Niagara and The Canadian would later split in Detroit with some cars heading to Niagara Falls and others to Toronto. Nine minutes later the Valley Express stopped on its way to Saginaw, Bay City and Detroit. Overnight the North Shore Limited, the Boston Express and the Motor City Special stopped on their way east to New York, Boston, and Detroit. In the other direction these same trains provided many choices for travelers heading to Chicago and points west and south. And these were just the named passenger trains to stop at Niles. For shorter trips there were the “locals.”

Today Amtrak operates four trains eastbound and three trains westbound that stop at Niles to and from Chicago and Port Huron or Pontiac via Detroit. The Chicago-Port Huron train is called the Blue Water and the Chicago-Pontiac trains are the Wolverines.

— Submitted July 15, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Springfield, Virginia.

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

4. The Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

5. The Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

6. High upon the top of the Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot

By M. Bowyer, July 10, 2007

7. Painting of the Michigan Central Railroad Niles Depot located inside the station

Credits. This page originally submitted on July 12, 2007, by M. Bowyer of Indianapolis, Indiana. This page has been viewed 2,700 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on July 12, 2007, by M. Bowyer of Indianapolis, Indiana. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.